Heroic Goalkeeping Denies Foord And Co

Sydney FC’s Westfield W-League side were defeated 1-0 by Canberra United on Saturday in a match that could well have gone the way of the Sky Blues, were it not for an outstanding goalkeeping performance from Canberra United’s Matilida’s representative, Lydia Williams.

Sydney FC-s Westfield W-League side were defeated 1-0 by Canberra United on Saturday in a match that could well have gone the way of the Sky Blues, were it not for an outstanding goalkeeping performance from Canberra United-s Matilida-s representative, Lydia Williams.

Young star Caitlin Foord, just shy of 17 years of age, knows Williams- ability all too well, having travelled to the 2011 FIFA Women-s World Cup as part of the Matilda-s squad.

In fact, Foord played in three of the four matches at the tournament, whilst Williams herself made one appearance.

Foord was impressed, if not entirely surprised by Williams- performance.

“Lydia played really well. She-s a great goalkeeper. Canberra played really well, but Lydia was fantastic.”

The fact that her clean sheet was so well earned suggests that Sydney FC created plenty of opportunities, a positive that Foord was happy to take from the game.

“It wasn-t the result we were looking for, we had a lot of chances but we didn-t convert them. I think just about every player had a shot on goal!”

Foord herself had an opportunity late on in the match and was denied by Williams, having been introduced into the action by coach Alen Stajcic at half time.

Observers were impressed by the impact the youngster had in the second match and Foord was happy with her own contribution.

“Obviously when you-re on the bench you-re eager to get on and when I did, I just tried to play with a lot of energy and add something to the side. I was really happy to get on and make a difference in the second half.”

At the other end of the spectrum, the experienced Heather Garriock was a stand out and Foord was more than happy to sing her praises.

“Heather-s delivery was fantastic all day and she created a lot of opportunities. Danielle Brogan too, was really strong at the back.”

Looking ahead to this weekend-s fixture against Newcastle Jets, Foord was cautiously optimistic, “It looks like Newcastle are in really good form, so it-ll be a tough game and a good test of where we-re at.”

With FIFA Women-s World Cup experience and a strong performance off the bench last week, Caitlin Foord is certainly up for the challenge.